Salary guide
School Catering Assistant salary
What school catering assistants are advertised at on live vacancies we hold — we name the nation whenever we publish a figure.
Official support staff pay spine · 2026/27
NJC pay points 3–43
Full-time, full-year rates from 1 April 2026 (3.3% increase agreed). Show all pay points
| Pay point (SCP) | Annual salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | £25,614 | £13.28 |
| 4 | £26,016 | £13.48 |
| 5 | £26,427 | £13.70 |
| 6 | £26,847 | £13.92 |
| 7 | £27,274 | £14.14 |
| 8 | £27,709 | £14.36 |
| 9 | £28,153 | £14.59 |
| 10 | £28,608 | £14.83 |
| 11 | £29,071 | £15.07 |
| 12 | £29,542 | £15.31 |
| 13 | £30,023 | £15.56 |
| 14 | £30,515 | £15.82 |
| 15 | £31,015 | £16.08 |
| 16 | £31,525 | £16.34 |
| 17 | £32,046 | £16.61 |
| 18 | £32,578 | £16.89 |
| 19 | £33,119 | £17.17 |
| 20 | £33,673 | £17.45 |
| 21 | £34,237 | £17.75 |
| 22 | £34,811 | £18.04 |
| 23 | £35,570 | £18.44 |
| 24 | £36,581 | £18.96 |
| 25 | £37,563 | £19.47 |
| 26 | £38,510 | £19.96 |
| 27 | £39,481 | £20.46 |
| 28 | £40,444 | £20.96 |
| 29 | £41,177 | £21.34 |
| 30 | £42,123 | £21.83 |
| 31 | £43,149 | £22.37 |
| 32 | £44,253 | £22.94 |
| 33 | £45,529 | £23.60 |
| 34 | £46,579 | £24.14 |
| 35 | £47,665 | £24.71 |
| 36 | £48,738 | £25.26 |
| 37 | £49,817 | £25.82 |
| 38 | £50,908 | £26.39 |
| 39 | £51,928 | £26.92 |
| 40 | £53,051 | £27.50 |
| 41 | £54,143 | £28.06 |
| 42 | £55,224 | £28.62 |
| 43 | £56,293 | £29.18 |
Source: NJC for Local Government Services pay agreement 2026 (Annex 1)
Councils and most maintained schools in England, Wales and Northern Ireland pay support staff on this spine; each employer decides which pay points a role sits on. Annual figures are for a full-time (37-hour), all-year post — term-time and part-time staff are paid a proportion of them. Hourly rates are for a 37-hour week. Pay point 2 was removed, so the spine now starts at point 3. Academies, independent schools and private nurseries may use their own pay.
Read the official pay agreement (Local Government Association)Typical advertised pay
£11,947 per year – £14,857 per year
Median advertised range for Catering Assistant roles in England
Based on Catering Assistant adverts
We don't yet have enough School Catering Assistant adverts with pay to publish a figure of their own, so this shows the closest main role. Based on 13 live public vacancies. Support-staff pay is set locally, so individual adverts vary.
See the Catering Assistant salary guideSchool Catering Assistant job openings
Schools hiring school catering assistants
Ranked by live vacancy volume. We do not publish employer-level pay figures.
Where school catering assistants are being advertised
Areas with the most live school catering assistant vacancies.
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Career advice for school catering assistant roles
Frequently asked questions
How much does a school catering assistant earn?
We do not yet hold enough verified salary evidence to publish a school catering assistant figure. Rather than estimate, we show live vacancies so you can see what employers are actually advertising.
Does school catering assistant pay vary by area?
It can, but we only publish area differences where we have enough evidence for that area — we never apply a regional multiplier to invent a local figure.
What pay framework applies to a school catering assistant?
Many maintained schools in England and Wales use support-staff pay structures derived from the NJC national agreement, but grades, points and term-time arrangements are set locally by the employer. Academies, independent schools and private providers may use their own scales.
Find your next school catering assistant job
Live UK school catering assistant vacancies from schools, trusts and agencies.
Browse School Catering Assistant jobsNew to the job? Apprenticeships for this kind of role – paid training with a qualification.